Catalase has been used widely, for example, in the semiconductor process for the treatment of hydrogen peroxide-containing waste water, in the fiber bleaching process for the hydrolysis of remaining hydrogen peroxide, and in the field of food industry for the hydrolysis of hydrogen peroxide remained after bleaching perishables such as herring roe and the like.
Catalase is an enzyme which hydrolyzes hydrogen peroxide and is known to be produced by a great variety of organisms. Examples of catalase of microbial origin so far reported include a thermostable catalase produced by a bacterium belonging to the genus Thermus (as described in JP-A-55-135588), a fluoride ion-resistant catalase produced by a bacterium belonging to the genus Micrococcus (as described in JP-A-4-20288), a halotolerant catalase produced by a yeast belonging to the genus Hansennula (as described in JP-A-63-3788), and a thermostable catalase produced by a fungus belonging to the genus Aspergillus (as described in JP-A-5-153975). (The term "JP-A" used herein means an unexamined published Japanese patent application.)
However, conventionally used catalases are not satisfactory in terms of their catalase activity under low temperature conditions.